Steering wheel



Feb. 16, 1943, w. F. LANGE 2,311,448

STEERING WHEEL Eiled Dec'. 9,1940

Snoentor '8% W am r attorneys Patented Feb. 16, 1943 2,311,448

UNITED STATES n o PATENT OFFICE STEERING WHEEL William F. Lange, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application December 9, 1940, Serial No. 369,176

2 Claims.

This invention relates to steering wheels used on automotive vehicles.

The rims of steering wheels in use today are usually made with a metal center surrounded by a hard rubber exterior, the exterior being of Bakelite or a suitable opaque thermoplastic substance or a resin. It is also the practice to place the instruments on the instrument panel immediately behind the steering Wheel so that at times the rim or the spokes of the wheel, or both, will be of the rim has a cross-sectional area which is conin the line of sight to the instruments and intersiderably less than the cross-sectional area of fere with a clear view thereof by the driver. lower half I8. The lower half I8 has a cross- The thought occurred to me that it would be sectional area, or a diameter, which is usual with desirable to have a steering wheel in which the steering wheels, whereas the cross-sectional area, upper half, or the section of the rim between the l5 or the diameter, of the part I6 of the rim is condriver and the instruments on the panel, be made siderably less than usual. This reduction in crossthinner than the conventional steering wheel, sectional area of part I6 reduces the obstruction whereas the lower half of the rim could be of the between the observer and the instruments 4 and usual thickness. This decrease in the thickness enables the instruments easier to be seen. By of the top part of the rim of the steering wheel making the steering wheel 6 of Lucite, the visiwould diminish the obstruction and lead to an bility is further increased foivthe reason that thev easier View of the instruments. operator is able to see through the Lucite and With a view further to make better the view of View the instruments 4. the instruments, it is proposed to make asteering At 20, or Where the rim half I6 joins onto wheel of a transparent substance such as a therthe rim half I8, shoulders are formed which act moplastic resin (Tenite or Lucite) and with such as grips to aid the hands in turning the wheel a transparent wheel, together with a reduced when steering the Vehicle. cross-sectional area of the rim at the upper side The Lucite wheel B may have the narrow decof the wheel, the obstruction to a View of the inorative chromium strips 22 and a wider strip 24` struments is reduced substantially to a immediately adjacent the driver, and at the cen- Another feature of the invention is that at the ter part of the rim half I 8. The chromium piece place of junction of the thinner or smaller part 24 may be zprovided with suitable raised parts of the rim with the larger part, two shoulders are 26 to act as grips t0 aid the hand` in turning the formed which form grips to give a. better hold to Wheel. the hand in turning the wheel, In Figure 3 the steering wheel 6' is not made Gn the drawing: of transparentI material, but is constructed in the Figure 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel made usual Way and has a Central metal COIe 0r reinin accordance with the invention and showing a forcing member 25 Surrounded by a Sheath 23 0f transparent wheel made of a thermoplastic ma- Opaque material Such aS Bakelite 01 hard rubber, terial. a0 or any suitable thermoplastic substance. The up- Figure 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 per rim half I6 is of a less width than the lower of Figure 1, showing the smaller cross-sectional hal-f I8 and thereby decreases the obstruction to area, a view of the instruments 4 on the instrument Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with Danel- The Spokes are made in the usual parts broken away showing the conventional type Wayof wheel having a reduced diameter rim at the The property of Lucite of transmitting light in upper part. a curved 4path is well known. In case any light Figure 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4 4 source should cause its rays to rfall upon any part Of Figure 3- of the Lucite of the wheel, the entire wheel will Referring to the drawing, the instrument panel be illuminated. of the usual automobile is indicated in dotted out- I claim: line at 2, and the various instruments on the l. A steering wheel adapted `for application to panel are indicated thereon by the reference nuan automotive vehicle which has an instrument meral 4. panel and comprising a rigid rim extending con- The steering wheel of the invention is indicated tinuously 360 degrees in circumference, said rim as a whole at 6 and is positioned immediately in front of the instruments and between the drivers seat and the instruments. In the species of Figures 1 and 2, the steering wheel is made of a transparent resin such as Tenite or Lucite. This wheel comprises the hubl 8, the spokes I Il, and the rim I4, and has a horn sounder ring I2 applied thereto. If desired, a horn sounder button I5 may be applied to the hub 8` The upper half I6 having two approximately semiciroular parts of different cross-sectional area, a. hub, and spokes extending from said hub to that part of said rim having the larger cross-sectional area, the cross-sectional area of one of said parts being substantially smaller than that of the other part and the change in cross-sectional area at the places of junction Ibetween the two parts being abrupt, whereby shoulders 4are provided to enable the operators hand better to grip the rim and whereby obstruction between the operators eyes and the instrument panel may be minimized.

2. A steering wheel adapted for application to an automotive vehicle which has an instrument `panel and comprising a rigid rim extending oontinuously in a complete circle, said rim having two approximately semi-circular parts of different .cross-sectional area, a hub, and spokes extending from said hub to only that part of said rim having the larger cross-sectional area, the other part of the rim having the smaller crosssectonal area. being formed of a tough transparent material, the change in cross-sectional area between the said two parts being substantial and abrupt, whereby shoulders are provided to enable the operators hand better to grip the rim and whereby substantially al1 obstruction to the o'perators view of the instrument panel may be eliminated.

WILLIAM F. LANGE. 

